Coupling



June 2, 1931. p ROBIN 1,807,636

COUPLING Filed Aug. 11, 1930 2 SheetsSheet l [N VENTOR PHILIP T. IN

' A TTORNE Y P. T. ROBIN June 2, 1931.

COUPLING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 11

lNVE/V'TDR PHILIP T.

Patented June 2, 1931' PHILIP T. ROBIN, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA COUPLING Application filed August 11, 1930. Serial No. 474,442.

My invention relates to couplings and aims to provide a device of this character partieularly adapted for use in connection with equipment in which a rapid and positive means for connecting or disconnecting certain related parts is anessential to proper operation.

The said device comprises two principal units, one male and the other female. In

in this-specification the former unit is hereafter referred to as a plunger and the latter unit as a fitting.

When the said plunger and fitting are connected and locked together by means hereinafter described, they are adapted to resist forces tending to separate them in a longitudinal, or axial direction.

An essential feature of the invention is a locking mechanism associated with the said plunger and which, when actuated by a manual or other force exterior to the coupling proper, provides a rapid and positive means for maintaining the plunger and fitting in engagement or for releasing the same to permit disengagement, as may be desired. The

nature of the said locking means is such that it will tighten its grip upon application of and in direct proportion to any force which may tend to disengage the coupling while in 3a locked position.

The device may be employed as a straight mechanical coupling such as, for example, a drawbar to attach railroad cars or other vehicles to one another; or it may be adapted to the transmission of fluids under pressure from one container to another under circumstances requiring frequent connection and discon the fitting, thus constituting a fluid seal which will automatically develop increased resistance to leakage in direct proportion to a rise of fluid pressure in the coupling.

The facility with which it may be engaged V or disengaged, together with its ability to transmit fluid under high pressure without leakage, make the coupling particularly useful in connection with systems for lubricating the bearings of certain classes of machin- 0 cry or of the chassis of automobiles or the like, in which relatively great fluid pressures are'necessary in order to force lubricant through the restricted passages and outlets frequently encountered in such cases.

Having thus described the principal features and objects of my invention, reference may be had to the drawings which show several forms of, the device and in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the plunger and fitting in locked position.

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view similar to Fig. 1, but with the plunger and fitting disengaged.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention, being more simple in construction and shown with the plunger and fitting in the engaged and locked position.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but with the plunger and fitting disengaged.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View of the plungor with a locking means consisting of a split, metallic collar, as a modification to permit the coupling to transmit excessively heavy mechanical loads without risk of damage to the locking means.

Referring to the drawings: 12 indicates a tube, or pipe, through which fluid may be passed and which is attached at one end to the sleeve 13, having a flange 14. The threaded sleeve 10 has a bore 11, adapted to receive the sleeve 13. The plug 15 is provided with an external thread to engage the threaded portion of the sleeve 10; and an internal thread to receive the threaded portion of the plunger stem 16, the same being held in the proper position by means of a set screw 19 turned into the threaded aperture 20 in the plug 15.

A. sleeve 21 is slotted at 22 for the arms 23, which serve to connect the operating ring 2% to the longitudinal cylinder 25, which fits around the inner sleeve 26. The flange 29 is preferably pre-formed on the sleeve 26 and.

serves to hold the flexible lockingcollar 28 against the lower end surface of sleeve 25'. The flange 27 is preferably made on the sleeve 26 after the same has been assembled, with the flexible collar 28, into the sleeve 25.. A

washer 18, containing a hole 17, is interposed between the plunger stem 16 and the flanged sleeve 13. The plunger stem 16 is provided with a longitudinal duct 32 whiclrconnects with the transverse duct 33 in thezplunger head 34, thus providing for a continu-ouspassage of fluid from the tube 12 to the exterior of the plunger head 34.

The inner surface of the lower endofthe sleeve 21 is tapered outward slightly as shown at 21a, in order to provide a sheath into 'which the flexible collar 28 may bewithdrawnwhen required. The outer end surface of sleeve 21 is reduced in diameter to form'a shoulder 21?) to limit the entry of the sleeve 21- into the fitting 31.

The fitting 31 is provided with a bore 315 in which, at its upper end the lip 30 -i s:fixedl 'v placed. The inner diameter of the lip 30=is only slightly greater than the largest -dia1neter of the plunger head 34,80 thatthe-latter may only enter the fitting 31 through the lip 30 when the flexible collar 28 is withdrawn into its sheath, as shown in Fig. 2: The lower edge of the lip 30 has a bevele'dseat36 and when it is desired to l-o'ck:tl1e coupling the flexible collar 28 is extruded so as: to be placed between the beveled seat of the lip 30 and the beveled surface 34a of the plunger head 34.

A check valve 35 is preferably providedin the fitting 31 to prevent escape offluidfrom thefitting after the plunger has beeniwith; drawn; and also to guard against the entny of grit or other foreign substance into the fitting while the coupling is disengagech The check valve 35 has a beveled seatr'35c which is adapted to engage the seat 36 when actuated by the expansion spring38. Slots 37 are provided in the cylindrical guide surface 354 of the check valve 35 to permit the passage of fluid from the main bore-31b into the hollow 35?) and thence through-the. aperture 39 into any receptacle to whiclrit may be desired to transmit the fluid. It: wi-lhbe observed that the greatest diameter' of the check valve 35 is somewhat smaller than the bore 31?) of the fitting 31, so as to permit: free passage of the fluid around the head of the check valve when the same is in the position shown in Fig. 1. The fitting 31 has'a hexagonal head and a threaded base to facilitate its attachment to the receptacle heretofore described.

In operation the operating ring 2& is placed in the position relative to the plunger shown in Fig. 2, so that the inner sleeve 26 will draw the flexible collar 28 into its sheath 21a until its greatest diameter becomes less than that oftheplunger head 3l. The plunger unit may then be entered into the fitting until the shoulder 21?) comes in contact with the upper surface of the lip 30. Incidentally, the entry of the plunger head 3st into the fitting will automatically depressthe check valve 35 and the spring 38. Next, the operating ring 24 maybe moved toward the fitting with .the result that the flexible collar. 28 will be extruded-from its sheath 21a and forced between the seat 36- of the lip 30 and the seat 34a of the plunger head 3%, all as; shown in Fig. 1. .It willnow be seenthat it is impossible for the plunger to be retracted from the fitting wi th:

out compressingthe material of the flexible collar 28 to the. point where it could be drawn through the exceedingly. Snlflllii clearance space which exists between the greatest diam? eter of the plunger head 34: andtheainner diameter, or bore, of the lip 30u Andr'since the material of whichthe flexiblencollar :is composed is of sucha nature'andisize that: it cannot be compressed into the saidiclea-rance space, the plunger unit will be positively locked 'to the fitting and,fit1willsbe 'readily appreciated, the greater the force-tending to separate; the plunger from. the fitting :the tighter the flexible collar will'become wedged between the seats 36 and 346.1 It wilLalso be seen that the spring 38 will act to maintain .a certain amount of pressure 1 on theiflex-ible collar 28 -s0 that the latter will not'be in danger of becoming loosenedin the fitting should the main force acting on :the coupling betemporarily relaxed.

l/Vh'en it is desired todisengage the cou-: pling, the force that has been applied, fluid or otherwise, must be relaxed Then,'by-m0ving the-plunger head still farther into the fitting, pressure ofthe seat B iaon the surface of the flexible collar 28 will bereleased and thelatter maybe withdrawnninto its sheath 21a by manipulation of the operating ring 24 into a position relative to the plunger as shown in Fig. 2, after which theentire plunger assembly may readilyxbe removed from the fitting-andthe spring 38' will close the check valve 35.

The modified form is similar in operation. The pipe 47 is connected to the plunger stem 41 by means of the pipe coupling 48. The flexible collar 40 is composed of an elastic materialand slidably positionedon the stem ofthe plunger, as shown inFig. 6. After the plunger head lla has been inserted into the fitting 31 the flexible collar 10 may be moved toward the fitting until'its' lower end is ex-.

panded over the plunger head as shown and enters the space between the seat 36 of the fitting and the seat 41a of the plunger head. Passage of fluid through the longitudinal duct 45 of the plunger stem and the transverse duct 46 in the plunger head, and the general characteristics of the coupling are the same as heretofore described as pertaining to the first application.

In the form shown in Fig. 7 the sleeve 40a is made of metal and its lower end is split to form a plurality of spring fingers 441- which can be expanded to lock the coupling when pushed down over the head 41a.

It will be noticed that in all forms illustrated the flexible lock collar must be withdrawn from the plunger head in order that the latter may be inserted into the fitting and that, after the plunger has been inserted and the flexible collar projected to lock the coupling, the latter will be securely maintained in the locked position because of the impossibility of the flexible collar being drawn through the limited space between the outside of the plunger head and the bore of the internal lip at the mouth of the fitting. Also, the greater the force applied to the coupling the tighter the flexible collar will become wedged in place, resulting in increased resistance to either mechanical slippage or fluid leakage. And, upon release of the force carried by the coupling, the flexible collar may be quickly and easily withdrawn and reduced to a diameter smaller than that of the outside of the plunger head, after which the entire plunger unit may be retracted from the fitting without eflort.

Obviously, numerous other modifications of structure might readily be resorted to without in the least departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a pressure coupling, the combination of a fitting having an inwardly opening check valve therein, a detachable coupling member having a head which may be pressed into the fitting to open the valve, said member having a fluid passage through the same, and an expansible sealing ring movable along the member and expanded by the head into sealing contact with the inside of the fitting.

2. The combination stated in claim 1, the fitting having an inner valve seat against which the ring is pressed by fluid pressure within the fitting, when the valve is un seated.

3. The combination stated in claim 1, said member including a hollow body engageable with the fitting, and a sleeve slidable inside the body, to which sleeve the ring is attached.

4. In a pressure coupling, the combination of a fitting having an inwardly opening check valve therein, a coupling plunger having a head which may be entered into the fitting to unseat the valve, said plunger and nature. 7

PHILIP 'I. ROBIN. 

